Canadian Football League

Thursday, March 02, 2006

Glieberman resigns as President of Canadian Football League Gades

Lonie Glieberman's second time around in Ottawa was brief.CBC SportsLonie Glieberman lasted less than a year as president in his second tenure in Ottawa. Glieberman resigned as president of the Ottawa Renegades on Thursday, less than one year into his second stint in the job.Glieberman became president of the CFL club last May when his father, Detroit-area businessman Bernie Glieberman, bought the team. He owned the Ottawa Rough Riders in 1991-93.The Ottawa Sun reported in its Thursday edition that the team had contacted former Toronto Argonauts president Bob Nicholson. Nicholson, who currently works for the Washington Nationals, also spent 17 years in the Toronto Blue Jays organization.Glieberman's resignation comes after several weeks of controversy around the club. Earlier this week, new head coach John Jenkins lashed out at team consultants John Lisowski and Phil Kershaw at a news conference.It has been reported that the consultants recommended to Bernie Glieberman the removal of his son and general manager Forrest Gregg.Gregg, a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame who has coached in the NFL and CFL, appeared to forget the name of starting quarterback Kerry Joseph in an Ottawa radio interview earlier this month.Gregg coached under the Gliebermans when they owned the short-lived Shreveport Pirates CFL franchise in the mid 1990s.Lonie Glieberman courted controversy with the Rough Riders by firing general manager Dan Rambo and bringing in former NFL great Dexter Manley, who was then struggling with drug addiction.In his second tenure, Glieberman tried to lure a younger crowd to Renegade games by running a Mardi Gras promotion where males were given beads to hand out to women, who have traditionally earned the trinkets in such contests by baring their breasts.

Wednesday, March 01, 2006

Former Canadian Football League QB scores five TD's

BY JERRY LINDQUISTTIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITERFeb 28, 2006AIFLROME 55 BANDITS 43Maybe they were overconfident coming off a championship season. Maybe the opposition was a lot better than they expected. For whatever reason, last night's season opener was not the Richmond Bandits' finest hour.

Committing five turnovers, the Bandits dropped a 55-43 American Indoor Football League decision to the Rome (Ga.) Renegades - and a one-man gang named Marcus Brady.The Renegades quarterback, who spent the past four years in the Canadian Football League, made his indoor debut by running for five touchdowns and passing for two.Meanwhile, Richmond QBs Robbie Jenkins and Will Burch each were intercepted twice. Jenkins, who started and went most of the way, also fumbled the ball away on a fourth-and-1 from the Rome 1- yard line."We needed a wakeup call, to be honest with you," Jenkins said. "We were living on what we did last year. That was last year. I wouldn't say cocky, but I think we just felt we could come out here, go through the motions and be successful."Some of the best moves breaking in a brand new, grass-green carpet at Richmond Coliseum belonged to Brady. The 6-0 200-pounder accounted for 312 of Rome's 355 yards. He was 23 of 36 for 286 yards and wasn't picked off.From San Diego and a holder of a number of offensive records at Cal State-Northridge, Brady moved to Atlanta recently so his wife could attend law school at Georgia State. He has a degree in financial planning. Last night, it certainly looked like he had Richmond's defense figured out."No film, no scouting report. We knew they were defending champs. We knew were going to play a good team. That's about it," Brady said.The Bandits have a large number of returning players from last year's team that lost one game. Rome, an AIFL newcomer after being runner-up in the National Indoor Football League, had mostly newcomers. It didn't matter.Richmond last led at 23-20 before a 19-yard touchdown pass from Brady to Gerald Gales (12 catches, 165 yards, 2 TDs) gave the Renegades the lead to stay with 3:35 left in the first half.Jenkins threw for 262 yards (20 of 27) and five touchdowns, but twice he tried to force the ball to a receiver in the end zone and was intercepted. New coach Brent Williams replaced Jenkins with Burch late in the third quarter with Rome up 39-30. And he promptly hooked up with Redd Thompson for 28 yards and six points.But, on his next two series, Burch was intercepted on throws in which there wasn't a receiver within 10 yards. Jenkins returned to make it a 49-43 game on a 9-yard toss to Bryan Still. With 20.2 seconds remaining, as poorly as they had been playing, the Bandits still had a chance to pull it out.But Charles Segaar's onside kick didn't travel the required 10 yards. Renegades fullback Lew Thomas ran for a too-easy 6-yard score to ice it."We just didn't play well, and that's hard for me to accept," Williams said. "We just didn't have the intensity to match Rome. We had that look that all the chips were going to fall for us - and they didn't."FIRST STAR: Rome, Marcus Brady, the QB who joined the Renegades after a failed tryout with the Arena Football League's Georgia Force. Richmond, former Virginia Tech and San Diego Chargers standout wideout Bryan Still. He caught 11 passes for 133 yards and three touchdowns.PARTING SHOTS: Charles Jones, a defensive back from Alabama, had three interceptions for Rome. . . . Veteran Lawrence Lewis had two sacks, a blocked 38-yard goal attempt and a blocked extra-point try for the Bandits. . . . "We got plenty of stops on defense, but you can't turn the ball over five times," said Bandits coach Brent Williams.Rome ------------------------- 14 19 6 16 - 55Richmond ------------------------- 15 8 7 13 - 43Rome - Brady 6 run (Marshall kick)Rich - Still 17 pass from Jenkins (Segaar kick)Rich - Rouge, SegaarRome - Brady 5 run (Marshall kick)Rich - Still 6 pass from Jenkins (Segaar kick)Rich - Rouge, SegaarRome - Gales 43 pass from Brady (kick failed)Rich - Richardson 27 pass from Jenkins (Segaar kick)Rome - Gales 19 pass from Brady (Marshall kick)Rome - Brady 2 run (kick failed)Rich - Richardson 20 pass from Jenkins (Segaar kick)Rome - Brady 1 run (kick failed)Rich - Thompson 28 pass from Burch (kick failed)Rome - Brady 3 run (Marshall kick)Rome - FG Marshall 31Rich - Still 9 pass from Jenkins (Segaar kick)Rome - Thomas 6 run (kick blocked)A - 1,500

Monday, February 27, 2006

Riders look to Canadian Football League rookie to handle kicking duties

The Saskatchewan Roughriders signed non-import kicker Rob Pikula on Monday to replace departing veteran Paul McCallum.Pikula, 23, spent four seasons with the University of Western Ontario, where he was voted the country's best kicker. The Brantford, Ont., native was named a CIS first-team all-Canadian in 2004 as a kicker, and a second-team all-Canadian as a punter."We have had Rob in our sights for awhile now and are very excited about signing him," said Roughriders head coach Danny Barrett. "We are very confident that Rob will be able to build upon his success in the CIS and can fill the job of kicker and punter for the upcoming season."The Roughriders moved quickly to find a replacement for McCallum, who signed with the B.C. Lions Feb. 22 after 12 seasons in Saskatchewan. The 36-year-old went 31-for-42 in field goals for the Roughriders in 2005.Saskatchewan also re-signed non-imports Mike McCullough and Neal Hughes. McCullough, a linebacker, played in all 18 regular-season games last season, and started the East semifinal. Hughes returned 11 kickoffs for 185 yards and added 11 special-teams tackles.

Former Canadian Football league player joins Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame

NATCHITOCHES – Five-time major league baseball All-Star pitcher Chuck Finley and Kentucky Derby-winning jockey Craig Perret are joined by college and pro football stars Ronnie Estay, Frank Lewis and Eric Martin among eight state sports heroes comprising the 2006 induction class for the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame.Basketball greats Rick Robey and Sheila Thompson-Johnson, along with major league infielder and manager George Strickland, complete this year’s inductees. They will be honored June 22-24 at the 2006 Hall of Fame Induction Celebration in Natchitoches, culminating with the induction dinner and ceremonies on Saturday night June 24.Finley, a Monroe native, won 200 games in 17 big league seasons. Perret, from New Orleans, has 4,415 career wins including the 1990 Derby and the 1987 Belmont Stakes. Estay, from Larose, was an LSU All-America defensive lineman who earned Canadian Football League Hall of Fame enshrinement. Lewis, a Houma product and Grambling State All-America receiver, was an All-Pro for the Buffalo Bills and won two Super Bowl rings with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Martin, a Texas native, set receiving records at LSU and with the New Orleans Saints, helping the Saints to their most successful seasons and earning All-Pro honors.Robey, a New Orleans native, was a high school and college All-American who won championships at the pro, college and high school levels. Pitkin product Thompson-Johnson was the state’s first prep girls All-American who led Louisiana College women’s basketball to national tournament success as a player and coach. Strickland, another New Orleans product, was one of the top defensive infielders in his 10 major league seasons with the powerhouse Cleveland Indians teams of the 1950s. Recipients of the Louisiana Sports Writers Association’s Distinguished Service Award in Sports Journalism and the Dave Dixon Sports Leadership Award will be announced in coming weeks. Those honorees will also share the spotlight during the 2006 Induction Celebration.The 27-member LSWA Hall of Fame selection committee reviewed a 26-page ballot with credentials of 128 nominees from 21 different sports categories to select the 2006 inductees. The eight new members will swell the ranks of Hall of Famers to 245 men and women enshrined since the Hall was established in 1958 by the LSWA.. That reflects an average of slightly more than five per year, since inaugural members Gaynell Tinsley, Mel Ott and Tony Canzoneri were elected in 1958. Finley, a Monroe native and former Louisiana-Monroe pitcher, had a career 200-173 record with a 3.85 earned run average and 2,610 strikeouts during 17 major league seasons. A hard-throwing left-hander, he made five All-Star Game appearances while winning 15 games or more in seven seasons. Finley had a 52-27 record from 1989-91, including two 18-9 marks, and finished in the top 10 in ERA five times while pitching for California (1986-99), Cleveland (2000-02) and St. Louis (2002) after being the fourth overall pick in the 1985 draft.Perret, a product of New Orleans, won the 1990 Kentucky Derby aboard Unbridled and captured the 1987 Belmont States on Bet Twice. He has a career winning percentage of 16.25 in 27,164 races , earning $113,837,299 on those mounts with 4,415 wins. Perrett claimed the 1990 Eclipse Award for jockeys, when in addition to the Derby win he rode four more Grade I winners, including one of his three career Breeders’ Cup triumphs. He took the Canadian Triple Crown in 1993. and won the 1998 George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award, annually presented to a rider for “bringing honor to the sport of thoroughbred racing and to himself.”Martin set LSU’s career receiving records before a 10-year NFL career, nine with the New Orleans Saints, highlighted by a Pro Bowl season in 1988. Chosen as a member of LSU’s “Modern Day Team of the Century,” he caught 152 passes for 2,625 yards and 14 touchdowns despite playing running back as a freshman. Martin led the Saints in receiving for seven straight years (1987-93), catching at least 63 passes in those seasons, mostly from Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame quarterback Bobby Hebert. He caught at least one pass in 107 games while setting Saints records for receptions and yards receiving in a season and career (532 catches, 7,854 yards). He ranks second all-time in Saints history behind Louisiana Sports Hall of Famer Dalton Hilliard with 48 touchdowns and is third all-time in scoring with 288 points, trailing Morten Anderson and Hilliard. Lewis, a Houma product, starred as a running back/wingback at Grambling before playing 13 NFL seasons as a receiver with Pittsburgh, winning two Super Bowl titles, and with Buffalo. With the Bills in 1981, he earned a Pro Bowl trip with 70 receptions for 1,244 yards while teaming with Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Ferguson after playing with Hall of Fame passers Terry Bradshaw in Pittsburgh and James “Shack” Harris at Grambling. Lewis was the first player in NFL historyt o gain 100 yards receiving in postseason games for two teams. Playing for Hall of Fame coach Eddie Robinson at Grambling, Lewis scored 42 career touchdowns and rushed for 1,428 yards, an average of 10.8 per carry, while winning All-America honors.Larose product Estay, who won All-America honors while a defensive tackle at LSU from 1969-71, is the second Louisiana native enshrined in the Canadian Football League Hall of Fame, preceded by 2005 Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame inductee Tom Hinton. Estay played in nine Grey Cups, winning six, and is a member of the Hamilton Tiger Cats Hall of Fame. He joined Martin on the LSU “Modern Day Team of the Century” after helping the 1971 Tigers lead the nation in total defense. He was a finalist for the Lombardi Award for the country’s top defensive lineman that season. Robey, from New Orleans, played on teams that won NBA, NCAA, NIT and Louisiana prep titles, earning All-America accolates at Brother Martin High School and the University of Kentucky. The 6-10 center led Brother Martin to the 1974 state title in Class 4A, then the largest classification in Louisiana, before launching a college career that led to his No. 53 jersey being retired and hanging from the rafters of Rupp Arena. He helped UK to the 1976 NIT title and the 1978 NCAA Final Four crown, earning All-America honors in 1977 and 1978. The third selection in the 1978 NBA Draft, Robey played eight pro seasons with Indiana (1978-79), Boston (1979-83) and Phoenix (1983-86), helping the Celtics win the 1981 World Championship.Thompson-Johnson was the state’s first prep girls All-American in the modern era at Pitkin High School before leading Louisiana college to national hoops prominence as a player (1977-81) and coach (1985-89). A two time All-American, she led LC to a national AIAW Division II fourth-place finish in her junior season. She is LC’s career scoring leader, male or female, with 2,659 points, ranking among the state’s top five all-time women’s scoring totals. She made the 20-memer LSWA All-Century Team for women’s hoops in 1999. Thompson-Johnson was 75-43 in four seasons as the Lady Wildcats coach, guiding LC to third place in the NAIA National Tournament in her first season. She later served as the first female athletic director in school history.Strickland, a New Orleans product, was a big league shortstop for 10 seasons and a coach, manager and scout for 11 more. He was the starting shortstop for the Cleveland Indians, who won 111 games before the Willie Mays-led New York Giants upset them in the 1954 World Series. Regarded as a brilliant fielding shortstop, Strickland led American League shortstops in double plays in 1953 and topped all big league shortstops in fielding in 1955 (.976) on the way to a career .965 fielding percentage. He shares the big league record for double plays in a game involving a shortstop (5) in 1952. He was interim manager of the Indians in 1964 and 1966.The Induction Celebration June 22-24 in Natchitoches will include a free kids’ sports skills clinic Saturday morning, June 24 with the 2006 inductees and Hall of Fame members enshrined in previous years offering instruction. Tickets for the induction banquet and ceremonies will go on sale in April, said Hall of Fame executive director Doug Ireland (ireland@nsula.edu). More Hall of Fame information can be obtained by calling 318-357-6467, including reservations for the Friday afternoon, June 23 Celebrity Pro-Am Golf Scramble at Oak Wing Golf Course in Alexandria.